DATE: July 23, 2008
CONTACT:
Marguerite Porter, (864) 878-1395, ext. 111
marguer@clemson.edu
WRITER:
Diane Palmer, (864) 656-4741
spalmer@clemson.edu
Camp helps kids learn how to cook at an early age
PICKENS — Pickens County 4-H is looking for youngsters who would like to hone their cooking skills in the Culinary Clovers Camp.
At this month's camp, sponsored by Pickens County 4-H and held at the Pickens extension office, 12- and 13-year-olds from the area learned from professional chef Robin Porter of Atlanta. The extension office hopes to have more classes in the late fall or early spring.
With skyrocketing obesity and diabetes among children, some parents are adding cooking classes for their kids alongside softball practice and music lessons.
Porter showed the kids how to dice with large chef knives and how to use all the parts of a chicken after they mastered how to break it down. Joyce Palmer of Greenbrier Farms donated the chickens.
They created a marinara sauce and pizza dough, which they used to create their own lunch for the day. The second day the kids made fruit scones and pot pies for lunch.
During the three-day camp, the kids also learned how to make duchess potatoes, focaccia bread and how to prepare a fruit salad.
They last day the kids invited family and friends to a buffet that included foods they had practiced making. It was completed with a watermelon sculpture of a bird cage and kiwi birds.
Porter says that the camp covered a large number of skills and techniques and the children seemed to enjoy participating.
Beyond connecting kids to the origins of their meals, cooking classes teach portion control, nutrition and widen kids' familiarity with food beyond hamburgers and fries.
“Getting kids to learn how to cook at an early age and get them more involved in what they’re putting in their mouths, we can reduce childhood obesity,” said Marguerite Porter, the Clemson extension agent who coordinated the class.
Since this class filled up quickly, Porter hopes to offer more cooking camps. Each class is limited to about nine kids. Contact the Pickens County extension office at (864) 878-1395, ext. 111, to put your child's name on the list.
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